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M. D. BRADLEY.

Broom Machine.

I Patented July 28, 1868.

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

goiter: giants ietent @ffita Letters Patent'No. 80,443, dated July '28, lees.

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Be it known that I, MILEs' D. BRADLEY, of B'alls'ton Spain the county of Saratoga, and State of NewYoi-k have invented a new and improved Machine TotOutting and Asserting Broom-Corn and other similar articles;

and I do hereby declare that'thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description'thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference'being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

Figure I is a side elevation of my improved machine.

Figure 2 is a top view of the same. v

Figure 3 is a detail view of the cutter-wheel.

Figure 4 is a detaiLview of theinternal gearing.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding'parts. V V i I i The object of this invention is to cut and assortthe difi'eren't lengths of broom-corn, crother animal or vegetable substances which have longitudinal dimensions, and which are of a kindred'character as to flexibility and other similar qualities, as, for example, rushes, flagging, horse-hair, reeds, rattans, or other like substances, which may require cutting and asserting previous to being wrought up into articles of use; i

It consists of the mechanism 'and arrangement of devices s'et forth-in the following A is a wooden drum, revolving upon a vertical shaft or equivalent gudgeons, a a' The upper glidgeon, a",

has a bearing in the central boss 12, forming part of the radial top iraiiie'c c c a, 8m, as showni This top frame is supported by the uprights dddd, &c., which are aiiix-ed to and rise from the b ase -hoop B of -the general.

frame, as shown. V

The rollers e e e e e e e e e are arranged parallel with the aizis of the drum,,and are in contact with and revolved by the drum when the latter is revolved. Belts, nl ni'nin n n 11, ni'atifl pasis Tover the rollers;

one-halfiof eaeh belt being in contact with the drum, as shown.

The rollers are grooved, to keep the belts each at its proper distance-'i'rozn adj aee nt ones: The belts are of difi'erentlengths, and are arranged as follows:

The belt n is on rollers e and e the belt at is on the nextlonger roller e and the roller a; belt n is on the next longer roller e and the roller e belt at is on the next longer roller a and. the roller e, and so on, each belt being on a separate roller and the common roller 0, as shown at fig. 1. I i W The rollers decrease in length regularly around the drum, and it"s by'this arrangement of the belts-and rollers that the different lengths of broom-eorn'andother muterialshaving similar character aresissorted, as will be shown.

7 The rollers have hearings in the radial slot i in the rimj' oi the top frame.t' c c, liteas s horizontal braces y g g, &c., afiixed between the uprights d d (1,850., as shown. V 3

The lower gndgeon, a, of the drum has a bearing in, the foot-step h, which is a screw having a hollow end, to receive the said gudgeon, and a hand-wheel,.j, for adjusting the drum up or down, when it is requisite todo so, when the height'of the cutting-wheel D'is adjusted to cut the-.difi'erent lengths of material generally longer or shorter.

The foot-step it works in a-hollow thread in the centre of framing c c c c, 820., aflixed within the uprights dd (Z, 8110., as shown.

The cutting-wheel D is keyed ona shaft, E, which latter revolves in the adjustable step-bearing lap being the hand-wheel for turning the same, and m being the hollow-threaded plate adixed to the uprights d d, holding the said bearing k. i

o is ajam-nut, for screwing up against the plate m, tohold the bearing firmly.

q is a spring-bearing, afi'ixed to the upright, -d, as shown.

hown; and in the r is a bevel-pinion on the shaft E, which pinion engages with the bevel-wheel u, on the same shaft with the pulley G, as shown.

H is a projecting bearing for the shaft of the pulley and wheel. The bevel-pinion r is not keyed firmly on the shaft E, but slides vertically thereon, being retained from turning on the said. shaft, without transmitting motion thereto, by any suitable device, as that of avertical feather on the shaft fitting a. slotin the eye of the pinion, thus permitting the shaft to be adjusted up or down, without disengaging the bevel-gearingr and u.

Radial cutters, v v v v, are aflixcd on theperiphery of the wheel D, as shown, and are formed with a curved or shear edge, that their action may be smooth andfree-from jar.

Thearm .W and disk W, which serve as a. bearing for the cutters, are not affixed firmly to the upright, 11, but slides thereon within the guide t, as shown, the arm W presenting a surface of contact to two sides of the upright, and is guided in its vertical movement by the said guide 6' The cutter-wheel D is just above the disk 10, forming part of the arm 20 aifixed to the upright, d .as shown, and the said'disk serves to hold the broom-corn or other material in an angle, as shown, so that the cutters may operate more effectively. 7

The drum is revolved by means of the toothed rim I, aflixed to its under side, as shown, and thepinion J, keyed in the upper endof the shaft E. Anarm-plate, t, serves to actuate the lower part of the broom-corn or other material forward, so-as to prevent it from bending when being cut by the cutters.

The chutes K K K, &c., are hooked on the frame C, as shown, and serve to'conduct the broom-corn or other material to the bins L, placed around the machine, at the lower extremities of the chutes,-as shown:-

. The roller e has its hearings in pivoted plates, M N, which enable the belts to be slacked up when the machine is not in use, by turning the said plates and the roller outward.

The operation of the machineis as follows, and in the description of the said operation the broom-corn will be taken for the illustration thereof.

The attendant sits eonveniently elevated and near tothe roller e, holding in his lap a bundle of the corn to be cut and assorted. Taking the stalks, one at a time, he feeds them in between the roller 2 and the drum, as shown by. the stalkindicated in red.

I The stalk is fed in at a slight angle' -from the perpendicular, so that the bush will be seized by the belts and the ioller,'and thejuncture of'the brush and stalk is entered always at the same point 'on the roller e", which point is the lower part of said roller, The broom-corn is borne to the cutter, which cuts it, as shown, and the cut end falls to the floor. The bush and its remaining stalk are then borne by the drum until they'pass from under all or a portion of the belts and are droppedinto the upperpart ofthe chute, which conducts them down to the bin, as shown. The operation of the belts in this respect is illustrated at fig. 1, where a bush of broomcorn isbeing heldby the longest belt 11.. Thisbush will be held until it comes out at the last roller e, when it will be dropped into the proper chute. A bush of corn one size shorter would fall from the machine, after passing from under the roller n for the end of the said bush would not be sufiiciently long to be held against the drumby the belt A bush two sizes shorter is shown in the chute, it having fallen at the roller n", for the reason that it was notsuiliciently long to be held to the drum by the belt n, and thus all around the drum the bushes ofcorn fall into the chutes set under each roller.

When this machine is .used for assorting the diflerent lengths of hair, any suitable feeding-apron, composed of vertical rollers, having cylindrical feeding-brushes, must be employed, or some other equivalent meahsof feeding in flexible materials in a vertical position.

' The chutes can be unhooked and put anywhcre when they are hot in use. v

The usual ;days work in cutting-and assorting' broom-corn, as heretofore is about one hundred pounds per 'hand. By my improved machine, I have cut and assorted one ton of broom-corn per day, though this was merely as a trial, and the result is somewhat greater than what would be the case in ordinary daily work.

It is simple, cheap, and eilective,.a'nd supplies a want long felt by those who raise broom-corn or other articles of similar nature for market.

I claim as new,'and.'desire to'secure by Letters Patent-- 1. The perpendicular drum A,. the diflerent-sized' rollers e e2 e 8tc., and belts n n 11. &c., whether the said belts befiator round, all constructed and operating together substantially as shown and described, and for the purpose set forth. I p l V v 2. The cutter-s11 v v v, shaft E, pinion J, and toothed rim I, whether the said rim be toothed externally or internally, and drum A, all constructedand-operating together substantially as shown and described, and for the purpose set forth. l I

3. The chutesK 'IQK, &c., in combination with theslrum' A, rollere &c., and belts n n u 850., all substantially as and for the purpose shown and described.

4. The adjustable step-bearing h, in combination with the drum A, rollers e 4: e dun, belts n n n, 860., all substantially as shown and described, and for thepurposo set forth.

5. The bevel-gearing r u and pulley G, substantially as shown and described, in combination with the, drum A and its belts and rollers, all as and for the purpose set forth. r

, 6. Adjustable step-bearing la, in combination with the shaft E, cutter-whcel D,drnxn A and its rollers and belts, all substantially as shown and described, andfor the purpose set forth. I Y

The above specification of my invention signed by me, this 18th day-of February, 1868.

v i I MILES D. BRADLEY. Witnesses I O. B. THOMPSON,

WM. 'F. McNsMnnA. 

